Lihuo Divine Furnace [Seeking Monthly Votes, Investment]

Living beings enslaved by the "Desolate Lord" of the Desolate Forbidden Land were called Desolate Slaves.

Those who could become Desolate Slaves were not merely peerless geniuses. Some also had ties to the Ruthless Empress—for instance, if they had luckily obtained some of her inheritance and briefly stirred the sleeping Ruthless Empress when falling into the Desolate Abyss, they might have a chance of being transformed into a Desolate Slave by her.

The state of a Desolate Slave was rather peculiar. They seemed capable of eternal life, yet also seemed to have been refined into puppets. Still, they retained a trace of intelligence. Normally, they only slept within the Desolate Abyss, as though sealed inside Divine Source.

But none of that was the point.

The point was that the Desolate Slave, the Heavenly Jade Saintess, had left the bounds of the Desolate Forbidden Land. Her raven hair streamed behind her as she flew through the air, her dreamlike figure resembling an immortal maiden gliding over waves.

However, after she flew out of the Primordial Mountain Range, Jiang Ming was nowhere to be seen. He had already hidden himself away to enter seclusion.

The Heavenly Jade Saintess's misty eyes were vacant and ethereal, like crystal spheres clear to the bottom. In the end, her figure slowly drifted backward as she returned to the Desolate Forbidden Land. Her manner of flight was dreamlike; she streaked past like a ray of immortal light and was already back atop the sacred mountain of the Desolate Forbidden Land, falling once more into the Desolate Abyss.

Naturally, Jiang Ming knew nothing of this. He had long since left. It was better to stay farther away from the Desolate Forbidden Land.

That damned dog system had used a red thread of fate to bind him to the Heavenly Jade Saintess, a Desolate Slave. What happened today had been bizarre—she had actually chased after him. Fortunately, Desolate Slaves would not leave the Desolate Forbidden Land. That had been too close.

He did not believe Madman possessed enough charm to draw the Heavenly Jade Saintess out, because Madman often came here to wail his heart out, yet the Heavenly Jade Saintess had never come out to see him. Otherwise, with Madman's crazed state, what if he lost his mind and charged straight into the Desolate Forbidden Land?

Besides, hadn't Madman been quite rational today? When Jiang Ming wanted to enter, Madman had even held him back.

Madman was extremely reliable when he was rational. Over six thousand years, he had witnessed far too many people perish in the Desolate Forbidden Land. Whenever anything major happened here, he could not help coming to take a look.

Those who entered were basically eroded by the power of Huang and eventually turned into ash.

Most importantly, that thieving dog system had bound Xiao Nannan. It had actually bullied a little girl. By that logic, Jiang Ming now had some karmic connection with the Ruthless Empress sleeping beneath the Desolate Abyss.

What if he approached the Desolate Forbidden Land and disturbed the Ruthless Empress?

With a casual slap, she had shattered the Emperor Armament of the Heavenly Jade Holy Land into pieces, which all ultimately became nourishment for her Ghost Face Mask.

Jiang Ming was truly afraid.

And there was also the First-Generation Desolate Ancient Sacred Body sleeping within.

His ill-fated connection with the Desolate Forbidden Land ran far too deep!

Jiang Ming fled fifty thousand li in one breath and entered the Primordial Ruins once more. Overall, compared to the Desolate Forbidden Land, the Primordial Ruins were as safe as home to him.

Within the Primordial Ruins, he found a dangerous place that even Other Shore cultivators dared not approach: Thunderfall Valley.

Due to the abundance of underground magnetite deposits, Magnetism might even have formed here. Lightning frequently struck the area, making it extremely dangerous. It was occupied by a Lightning Bird Tribe.

Jiang Ming used the Seventy-Two Transformations. First, he transformed into a Spirit-Bright Sacred Ape to search for Magnetite Stones within the earth veins, then transformed into a Skyhorned Ant and relied on its talent to burrow beside the Magnetism.

It was a Magnetite Stone as large as a fist, wrapped in a vast quantity of magnetite ore. It created natural interference from the power of Magnetism; even a cultivator's divine sense would be disrupted here.

Jiang Ming was currently at Late Foundation Establishment. With this piece of Magnetism, it would be enough to evolve his Life-Bound Sword into a High-Grade Dharma Treasure.

The key was that he had not found many good materials recently.

Furthermore, after his Life-Bound Sword became a Dharma Treasure, the conditions for its evolution naturally rose as well. Not just any material could support its evolution.

Jiang Ming stretched out his hand. A dazzling silver treasure sword, like a sword of light, rapidly expanded from a speck of dust into the size of a finger.

With a thought, the silver treasure sword stabbed directly into the Magnetism and began devouring the essence contained within this peculiar treasure material.

The Magnetite Stone was completely pitch-black, black with profound depth. It could distort the Dao laws of heaven and earth around it, leaving this place with only the Dao laws of Magnetism.

The defining trait of Magnetism was its terrifying weight. A fist-sized piece was as heavy as a mountain.

It could also restrain most metal-type weapons. It was a treasure material comparable to Light Stone and Lightning Stone.

For example, weapons refined from Light Stone possessed evil-dispelling power, as well as scorching heat and swift attack speed.

It seemed he needed to reclaim the Lightning Stone the Lightning Bird owed him. He did not know how large that Lightning Stone was, but it was compatible with Magnetism.

"Clang—"

Accompanied by a sword cry like a Dragon-and-Phoenix Cry, Dao laws flowed across Jiang Ming's Life-Bound Sword. The Dao Patterns of a nine-leafed grass faintly appeared upon it, and it naturally completed its evolution.

It became a High-Grade Dharma Treasure-level Life-Bound Sword.

Most cultivators at the Third Stage of the Four Extremes Secret Realm only refined treasures of roughly this grade.

Next came seclusion.

Jiang Ming continued using the residual power of Magnetism in this magnetite vein to nourish his Life-Bound Sword. After devouring a piece of Magnetism, some black Dao Patterns appeared on the formerly silver sword. It looked simple and imposing, with a distinct charm, like an ancient Han sword.

"Transform."

The next moment, Jiang Ming transformed once more into a Golden Cauldron Furnace. Ancient Immortal Antiquity Script was inscribed upon it. It was hexagonal overall, supported by three legs. The treasure cauldron was entirely golden, glittering brightly, massive and majestic, mighty and domineering.

First came the thousand-year-old Golden Ginseng. After consuming it, Jiang Ming's vital essence surged. The twelve-colored lotus dais within his purple-gold sea of true essence rose and fell as it directly devoured that essence.

Then there was nothing more.

Awesome!

Though he had not reached Ye Fan's level, where even consuming Quasi-Undying Divine Medicine barely improved him.

Still, there was no doubt that a powerful physique was like the difference between a Hummer and an ordinary electric car. Being fuel-hungry was normal.

The two-thousand-year-old Xun Wind Grass.

This herb was still suitable for him to consume even now. After eating it, he could not only absorb the spiritual herb's essence, but also receive the enhancement of its special Xun Wind power.

Boom!

Within the underground stone chamber where Jiang Ming was in seclusion, a ring of Xun Wind tornadoes the color of blue-and-white porcelain appeared around him, perfectly absorbing the medicinal effects.

At the same time, the Dao Patterns belonging to the Immortal Phoenix in Jiang Ming's phenomenon, the Auspicious Dragon-Phoenix Diagram, seemed to become a little clearer.

But Jiang Ming knew that was merely his illusion. How could it be so easy?

Two Silver Pan Peaches, each twenty-two hundred years old.

Within Jiang Ming's purple Sea of Bitterness, purple qi billowed. A sea of purple-gold true essence floated above it, while a twelve-grade lotus dais bloomed with twelve-colored divine light. Interwoven with the Dao Patterns between heaven and earth, it slowly evolved.

During this process, Jiang Ming's four great phenomena also devoured the Dao Patterns of heaven and earth, rapidly outlining and perfecting themselves. Each became clearer. Before, they had been like flowers seen through mist; now, they were more like being separated by a thin veil of fog that could be pierced at any moment.

This process continued for two months.

Boom!

Jiang Ming's aura suddenly broke through its shackles. The final three petals of the twelve-grade lotus dais finally took complete form, crystal-clear as if carved from celestial glass, lifelike and vivid. They were white, black, and purple.

Foundation Establishment Stage Completion.

Jiang Ming was quite satisfied with his cultivation speed. In his previous life, it had taken him five years to reach this realm.

Now, it had taken only one year.

That cheating bastard Ye Fan should be arriving at the Desolate Forbidden Land aboard the Nine Dragons Pulling a Coffin soon, right?!

As inspiration struck, Jiang Ming suddenly widened his eyes.

The Lihuo Divine Furnace. Thinking of Ye Fan immediately reminded him of something. Perhaps he could snatch a portion of Ye Fan's opportunity.

The Lihuo Divine Furnace was special. It was not an Emperor Armament, but it had been the weapon Emperor Hengyu used all along before finding Extreme Dao Treasure Material.

He would snatch it and see whether it could suppress his Fate Pattern.